Skip to main content

Has our "Stellar" striker made us more vulnerable?

Has our "Stellar" striker made us more vulnerable?

Bobbage

Bobbage

It's off, isn't it.
Joined
Apr 6, 2012
Messages
29,400
Apologies for the "S" word... 😡

Since we signed Beavon and switched to a 4-4-2 has it made us too lightweight in midfield? I know we're quite flexible with players being able to drop deep and make a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 at times but are we leaving our defence without cover too often now?

I think our 1-touch passing game has suffered without the extra man in the centre too, and the wide men are too exposed on the flanks so when they lose posession, the opposition wingers have a straight run at our full backs rather than one of our three CM's coming across to mop up.

Sodje's in a great scoring run, and surely we can't drop our number 1 transfer target all summer either? At home with our big wide pitch, I just wonder if it might be better reverting to one man up front though? Any thoughts....?
 
Last edited:
I actually like the 4-5-1 formation teams can't cope with the midfield, but we played with two up front against Swindon and we stuffed them, I just think Crawley had a battle plan that worked wonders, no need to panic GW said he wont always get it right, but he needs to put it right tonight.
 
ONEMANGANG said:
I actually like the 4-5-1 formation teams can't cope with the midfield, but we played with two up front against Swindon and we stuffed them, I just think Crawley had a battle plan that worked wonders, no need to panic GW said he wont always get it right, but he needs to put it right tonight.
Click to expand...

I'm still convinced that the half time substitution gave them the game on Saturday.
 
4 in midfield is fine - we need to tuck in sometimes , a wide player is often a luxury ...sometimes a bonus. Monakana was on the pitch for too long vs Crawley, not his fault , the midfield needing packing.
 
Bobbage said:
Apologies for the "S" word... 😡

Since we signed Beavon and switched to a 4-4-2 has it made us too lightweight in midfield? I know we're quite flexible with players being able to drop deep and make a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 at times but are we leaving our defence without cover too often now?

I think our 1-touch passing game has suffered without the extra man in the centre too, and the wide men are too exposed on the flanks so when they lose posession, the opposition wingers have a straight run at our full backs rather than one of our three CM's coming across to mop up.

Sodje's in a great scoring run, and surely we can't drop our number 1 transfer target all summer either? At home with our big wide pitch, I just wonder if it might be better reverting to one man up front though? Any thoughts....?
Click to expand...

Did you have these views on our new formation after the fantastic performance playing 4-4-2 against Swindon or is this just a knee jerk reaction to the defeat on Saturday?

2 wins and 1 defeat in the league since Beavon's arrival hardly suggests a major vulnerability in our play because of the new formation, especially when compared to 2 draws and 1 defeat in the league prior to his arrival.
 
Last edited:
bsk4ever said:
Did you have these views on our new formation after the fantastic performance playing 4-4-2 against Swindon or is this just a knee jerk reaction to the defeat on Saturday?

2 wins and 1 defeat in the league since Beavon's arrival hardly suggests a major vulnerability in our play because of the new formation, especially when compared to 2 draws and 1 defeat prior in the league prior to his arrival.
Click to expand...

This
 
You make some fair points there Bobbage... I have liked us having 5 across the midfield & it does work well. The question for tonight is do we have the fit personnel available to play 5 across midfield or will the casualty list dictate that we will have to play 4-4-2? I feel that we have to put our best 11 out tonight & that means going to 2 up front & as the home side make the most of our big pitch. But Westley may be tempted to play 5 across midfield and a lone striker, which I think he prefers. Get the feeling that, despite his impressive goalscoring feats, Sodje isnt doing enough for Westleys liking & it would be him that would step down to the bench if this was the case. It will be interesting to see our starting eleven tonight
 
How could our 'stellar' signing have made a difference? - he's been injured for weeks and only manages to trundle into the IP Stand on matchdays🙄
 
No knee-jerk reaction, just posing a question. I'm not sure our squad is familiar with each other enough yet to only have two in the middle, and even against Swindon we looked a little shaky in the centre of the park until GW dropped Beavon back nearer the midfield in the 1st half. Perhaps Mousinho will tighten things up with Wroe (what a revelation that lad has been!) in the centre when he returns?
I get the same feeling about GW not getting on with Sodje performance-wise but he is a goalscorer and has earned us points already so surely he can't be dropped at the moment.
 
I think the formation cost us on Saturday as we badly needed an extra body in midfield but that was one game.

4-4-2 worked a treat against Swindon and we ground out a win at Bury too.

I think we need to mix it up a bit and Westley needs to judge it on a game by game basis.

and to be fair, it was Sodje who was the least effective against Crawley.

Still early days though and we're without our captain and best winger.
 
Bobbage post raises an interesting conundrum and one that I was contemplating myself as it drove from the ground on Saturday. We certainly keep the ball better in a 4-5-1, but that formation has its own flaws as highlighted by our unpenetrative displays against Colchester and Shrewsbury. Too early to be too critical of the 4-4-2, but the inclusion of Beavon does not necessarily necessitate another striker: see Tottenham's free scoring display at Reading with just little Jermaine up top.

Sodje may get the axe tonight: Westley and the management team spent most of the game on Saturday alternately berating and encouraging him. I felt a bit sorry for him to be honest: he seemed pumped up but unable to make headway against what turned out to be a relatively formidable display from his markers.

It'll be interesting to see what happens this evening. If King has impressed in training he may play off Beavon. Beardsley scored in his last start, and whilst I don't particularly rate him, he may get a go. We'll see...
 
BigMarkLeonard said:
Bobbage post raises an interesting conundrum and one that I was contemplating myself as it drove from the ground on Saturday. We certainly keep the ball better in a 4-5-1, but that formation has its own flaws as highlighted by our unpenetrative displays against Colchester and Shrewsbury. Too early to be too critical of the 4-4-2, but the inclusion of Beavon does not necessarily necessitate another striker: see Tottenham's free scoring display at Reading with just little Jermaine up top.

Sodje may get the axe tonight: Westley and the management team spent most of the game on Saturday alternately berating and encouraging him. I felt a bit sorry for him to be honest: he seemed pumped up but unable to make headway against what turned out to be a relatively formidable display from his markers.

It'll be interesting to see what happens this evening. If King has impressed in training he may play off Beavon. Beardsley scored in his last start, and whilst I don't particularly rate him, he may get a go. We'll see...
Click to expand...
Interesting interview with Laird in sats programme where he says Beardsley got 10 goals by xmas last year then injured and missed most games after that. Laird confident he'd have gone on to get 20 goals .
 
bsk4ever said:
Did you have these views on our new formation after the fantastic performance playing 4-4-2 against Swindon or is this just a knee jerk reaction to the defeat on Saturday?

2 wins and 1 defeat in the league since Beavon's arrival hardly suggests a major vulnerability in our play because of the new formation, especially when compared to 2 draws and 1 defeat in the league prior to his arrival.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with you BSK, but it is a bit ironic that you were the one big voice and opponent on here to me and others when we pointed out that Irvine had to go after achieving only 11 pts in his last 14 games in charge at PNE.

So just so I get this straight............14 games as a sample was too short, but 3 is OK? Is that correct?
 
Bobbage said:
Apologies for the "S" word... 😡

Since we signed Beavon and switched to a 4-4-2 has it made us too lightweight in midfield? I know we're quite flexible with players being able to drop deep and make a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 at times but are we leaving our defence without cover too often now?

I think our 1-touch passing game has suffered without the extra man in the centre too, and the wide men are too exposed on the flanks so when they lose posession, the opposition wingers have a straight run at our full backs rather than one of our three CM's coming across to mop up.

Sodje's in a great scoring run, and surely we can't drop our number 1 transfer target all summer either? At home with our big wide pitch, I just wonder if it might be better reverting to one man up front though? Any thoughts....?
Click to expand...
Not tonight!
 
Back
Top